How To: Make Your Own Sore Throat Lozenges

It's that time of year again. The month after we exchange gifts, most of us tend to exchange germs. Cold and flu season always seems to creep up on us, often leaving us ill-prepared to deal with the ailments.

For those of you suffering from fits of coughing and a sore throat this season, you can enjoy a simple home remedy from YouTuber Dave Hax, who shows us how we can make our own throat lozenges. When your throat is sore, it never hurts to have a couple thousand of these around.

What You'll Need

• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• ½ teaspoon of ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves

How to Make Your Own Lozenges

1. Add the sugar and water into the pot, then cut a lemon in half and add the tablespoon of lemon juice into the pot. The lemon juice will provide some vitamin C.

2. Add the honey and ginger into the mix. The honey is antibacterial, soothes the throat, and is a cough suppressant. The ginger helps maintain the immune system, is an anti-inflammatory, helps with pain relief, and also alleviates of nausea. Next, add ground cloves to reduce phlegm, which are also a great source of antioxidants.

3. Now turn on the heat and stir the ingredients together, then stir again once it starts to simmer. Once simmering, put the stove on low heat and continue simmering for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly along the way.

4. Let the pot cool off while you line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Your liquid should now be thick and syrupy, ready to pour.

5. Pour little dots one at a time onto the parchment. Be careful, the liquid will be quite hot.

6. Cover the dots with powdered sugar to keep them from sticking together, making sure to cover each lozenge evenly.

7. Transfer your cooled-lozenges onto a plate or tin and use them whenever your throat starts to tickle or writhe in pain.

You can even add a few of these drops to a cup of hot water, let them dissolve, and enjoy them as a drink!

If you are big on essential oils, you can add 10 drops of Thieves, 7 drops of lemon, and 3 drops of Eucalyptus Globulus to 1 cup of honey at 300 degrees, then let them cool on parchment paper, as shown by Mama's Essential Oil Cabinet. You can even add these essential oils to the first recipe to reduce the amount of sugar used.

Remember to drink plenty of water and sleep often, and get well soon!